Stbaw-ctttter



W. HOV EY.

Straw Cutter.

Patented Feb. 12, 1844.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WM. HOVEY, OI" WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 3,431, dated February 12, 1844.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LIVILLIAM Hovnr, of the town and countyof Worcester and State of Massachusettshave invented a new and useful Improvement in Machinery for Cutting Straw, Hay, &c.; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and

exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, Figure 1 being a perspective view of the whole machine; Figs. 2 and 3, the wheel or cylinder of knives; Fig. l, a knife detached.

The nature of my invention consists in forming acylinder, around which a series of knives are set spirally, the said knives being radial, and so fastened to the cylinder as to be adjustable, by which meansthey can be made to out against a cylinder or roller of wood or other suitable substance with the greatest precision, after they have been ground. 1 l

The construction of my machine is as follows: The frame and box are similar to the common horizontal-box cutters now in use, the two front posts of which sustain the journals of a roller (6) thisroller is placed just above the bottom of the box, and can be raised or lowered by screws (71) attached to its movable bearings; directly beneath this roller the cylinder of knives is placed, so that the edges of the knives come in contact with the roller, and between them the straw is out. On the shaft of the knife cylinder, atone end, a fly wheel is affixed, and to the other a crank, by which it is put in motion. From each end of the cylinder (0), Figs. 2 and 3, are projecting arms, the face of which, that the knives rest against and to which they are fastened, being made radial; or instead ofthese arms, spiral wings may be formed on the cylinders, extending from end to end, against whichthe knives will rest. These it is not deemed necessary to represent as the cross section of the wings is the same, in any part, as that of the arms above named. The knives have a notch cut into their backs near each end, asis represented in Fig. 4, where one of the knives is hown detached, and binding screws pass through said notches into the arms or wings above mentioned; set screws (g) are also inserted into the cylinder, under the back of and bring their edges all up to the same circle, as they are ground away and wear out; they are thus made to touch the roller (1)) above, throughout their length. The screws are all easily got at with a screw driver without removing the knives, and the nicest adjustment constant-1y preserved.

Another variation of the head is shown in Fig. 5; the heads are made circular, and as many slots (Z) cut into them radially as there are to be knives; between each two slots a notch is cut out, which admits a screw (0) to be inserted angularly, thatruns through into the slot. When the knife is inserted it just fills the slot, and in this arrangement it has no notch cut in it; the point of the screw being forced against the knifeholds it firmly in its place; the set screws in this are like those (g) before described. The operation of this machine is to cut equal along the whole length of each knife, which is made to touch against the roller by the adjusting screws, notwithstandingany inequality in their wear.

It will be obvious that my improvement i is applicable to the straight, as well as the spiral knife, but I prefer the latter. Keys or wedges can also be substituted without changing the principle.

I do not claim a cylinder of knives cutting 

